Trooping Funnel

Description:

These looks like older, end-of-the-season, carpophores growing as a part of fairy ring (pic N° 6). These fruiting bodies were surprisingly large - about 15-18cm tall, sporting large funnel-shaped and dark yellow-light brown in colour, hats of some 15-20cm in diameter (pic N°5). Gills are deeply decurrent, and stems are tougher on touch. Flesh is brittle, and when broken, it produces a very pleasant mushroomy smell - I imagined them immediately in a sauce or stew...

Habitat:

Here, found on edges of an agricultural field (just being converted to organic production - kudos to the farmer!), and on edges of another mixed lowland forest, close to an urban setting. Apparently, a very common fungi throughout Europe, often growing as a fairy ring.

Notes:

1. Edible; and appreciated in particular when young - reportedly becoming leathery and loosing that pleasant taste and aroma with age. 2. Carpophores normally occurring in autumn, between September and December. 3. They are commonly growing as fairy rings - in France, one such ring reached 500-600 m in diameter, and was estimated to be 800 yrs of age. Beside the note on Wikipedia (please see reference link for details), I've found this interesting notes in some other websites and books. 4. The name seems to be changing these days - in my older literature and some websites, I'm finding it under the genus Clitocybe; while it seems that it was recently proposed to split the genus and include this (and few other) species into a new genus Infundibulicybe (and I'm definitely not going to try to pronounce this...)